Deadly Tryst
by SweetHarmonee
Summary: The tragic story of a woman caught between her childhood sweetheart and the kind of man she had always dreamed of. Set before the game. Please review! (RufusxRenoxOC)
1. Chapter 1

To describe the aura of the room as tense was certainly an understatement_. _The couple resided in the living room of their luxurious suite, each sipping a glass of a very expensive cognac as they gazed out the windows over the city of Midgar. Sitting there in silence, she realized all the gil on the entire Planet couldn't buy happiness. Something was terribly wrong and as usual he would not break his cool exterior. All the wealth on the Planet couldn't replace honest communication.

Looking up at Rufus, she fidgeted with the diamond engagement ring on her finger. When she had agreed to marry him, she was so deeply in love with him. The white business suits fitted around his broad shoulders and strong arms. The way he flipped his sleek blonde hair, letting it fall slightly across those sparkling blue eyes. She also loved how he spoke with such conviction, his gentlemanly manners, his manipulative charm. Surely she enjoyed the flowers, the cars, the jewels, and everything that accompanied his wealth. He was the Vice President of Shinra Inc. The heir to the throne so to speak. The status and security of that is what attracted her the most. All she ever wanted was the world and he had the Planet in the palm of his hands.

Breaking away from her thoughts, she grabbed a lighter and a cigarette from her pack on the table. After the cigarette was lit, she inhaled deeply and returned to her thoughts. _No…_ she was still madly in love with him, he was everything she had ever wanted but moments like this made her question her emotions.

"Do you not enjoy the cognac, my love?" Rufus asked as he turned his gaze away from the city outside the window and down to where his lovely fiancé sat at the couch behind him. He had always thought Blade was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in Midgar. More beautiful than any woman he had been with in Junon. To him, her beauty was not based on the physical.

From the first moment he saw her, he knew that he had to have her. Blade was breath-takingly gorgeous and she knew it. She was vain and greedy. Ever since she had realized her beauty as a teenager, she had used it to her advantage. Her skin was naturally brown but accompanied by a pale complexion, the result of spending many years in the slums without sunlight. Long, jet black locks fell endlessly to her waist. Her blue eyes always glittered so brightly on the surface, but he could always see that they hid pain and mistrust. Various scars were scattered across her skin, a permanent reflection of a life lived in difficulty beneath the plate. There was always a drink in her hand or a bottle of liqour nearby. Her tendencies to cry, yell, scream, and overreact emotionally consoled him. Her neediness and insecurity did as well. He didn't care if she was insane and violent. He didn't care if she was only with him for his wealth. He didn't care if his father thought she was _trash from the slums. _Rufus was in love with all of the beauty within her brokenness.

"The cognac is fine." Blade sighed and then took a very large sip from her glass. "Honestly Rufus, the cognac is wonderful. You know that! I know that!" She began to raise her voice, but stopped herself to take an even larger sip of her drink. Then she inhaled more of the sweet flavored tobacco. "I do not want to sit here and discuss the cognac just for the sake of engaging in some polite conversation with you. Life is not always about being proper and polite, but you wouldn't know _anything _about that would you?"

Rufus returned his gaze to focus outside the window, taking a sip of his glass without showing any acknowledgment towards Blade's words. This is why he loved her. He loved her rage, her anger, her ability to fully embrace any emotion she felt regardless of consequences. She would swing from one mood to another without any regard for social expectations. She would not hesitate to throw her glass across the room or break a piece of furniture. Her emotional and mental instability enthralled him. She was everything he was not.

Silence only filled the room for a few seconds before Blade stood up from the couch, sat her glass down on the table, placed her cigarette in the ashtray and walked over to stand behind him near the window. She wrapped her arms around him and nestled her head into his back. She thought this was the way to manipulate him to stay, but in all actuality she should have got angrier. He fed off her intense emotions and she didn't have the slightest clue.

"It's my birthday tomorrow. I only want to spend it with you. You can't postpone the meeting? Please, Rufus."

Her slender arms wrapped around his strong frame and he caressed her arm almost as some sort of reassurance. He raised her hand to his lips to gently plant a kiss on her fingertips. He spoke calmly, making an emotionless statement. "Nothing is stopping you from coming to Junon with me tomorrow."

"You'll be fucking busy anyway. You won't have any time for me. I might as well just sit around here. " She scorned as she released from the embrace and picked up her drink. She sighed deeply as she took heavy strides to their bedroom. Before slamming the door she sneered. "Plus, you know that I hate Junon."

* * *

An eery silence filled the room even though chaos was erupting all over the Shinra Building, but Blade had no clue what was happening. After receiving a very vague phone call from Rufus, she was left with orders to not leave the suite no matter what, keep the door locked, and to stay away from the windows. Even though she had pleaded with him to explain what was going on, his only reassurance for her was to order a few handfuls of Shinra guards placed in the hallway outside the suite until he arrived by helicopter from Junon.

Half an hour passed without a sound outside in the hall. Blade sat there without any phone calls, no announcements over the security system. She sat silently in their living room sipping the champagne sent from Rufus as she stared longingly at the dozen bouquets of flowers in the room. Wearing the beautiful red dress Rufus had bought for her birthday, she was adorned with diamond jewelry. The gifts, the money – it couldn't hide the fact that Rufus kept her in the dark, never really explained anything of importance, never fully communicated with her. She needed to know what was happening.

Only after leaving the safety of her room did Blade see that blood has been spilled everywhere. She had to cover her mouth to keep from gagging. The remains of ten Shinra guards lie on the floor of the hallway. Unmoving, motionless, covered in blood. The men that Rufus had placed outside in the hallway to protect her were brutally killed. Slamming the door of the suite behind her, she made sure to dead bolt the door and activated the security alarm. Grabbing her cellphone from the living room coffee table, she quickly scrolled through her recent contacts to find Rufus' number.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Hello, you've reached Rufus Shinra. Please leave a brief message after the tone."

"Dammit, Rufus! Pick up your phone! Where are you?!"

In a panic she repeatedly dialed his number, listened to the voice mail message, hung up, and redialed. She repeated this process twenty times before breaking down into tears on the floor. So many thoughts raced through her mind. Thoughts about Rufus, wondering if he was safe. Wondering if he was even alive. Fears for her own safety. Debates between risking leaving the suite to wander the halls looking for answers or try to escape. Then it hit her. Scrolling through her cell-phone, Blade called the unlisted number that showed up more often in her recent calls list than Rufus. She knew he had to be in the building still; he would never leave her potentially alone and unsafe. She could always depend on him, ever since their childhood together.

_Ring. Ring._

"Babe? Shit." The familiar voice mumbled in a way that brought her instant comfort. She couldn't help thinking about how his voice had always comforted her. His voice was not as smooth and well-constructed as Rufus', but she had always enjoyed it nonetheless. "Are you okay? I'm coming to get you right now. Where are you?" That familiar voice blared through the speaker of her cell-phone almost immediately.

His concern was evident in the tone of his voice and she couldn't help but let out a small smile at that thought. He wasn't as well-spoken as Rufus, but he cared more for her. He always had. He would always care more for her than anyone else. She knew that he needed to be needed by someone because he had abandonment issues. That was his weakness. He was addicted to protecting her, but it was a mutual addiction. It had been an addiction that had developed many years ago. To everyone else he was cocky, selfish, and very cynical. She was the only person he'd ever allowed himself to care for his entire life. Her happiness meant more to him than his own happiness and they both knew it. So he stayed by her side even though she had chosen Rufus and he swallowed his resentment.

"I'm in the suite. Rufus called and told me to stay…" She began to reply, but she was immediately stopped mid-sentence by the sound of yells and screaming on the other end of the phone. There were a few loud banging sounds. "Tell me what's going on! What's in the building? Where are you?"

"Dammit…." The male voice mumbled. Other hurried voices yelled out orders in the background. "There's not enough time to explain. Yo, can you get to the elevator?"

The very thought of wandering those halls terrified her. "I… think so."

"Look, just go grab the gun out of the cabinet. Head up to the 70th floor. Shoot anyone or anything that seems even the least bit suspicious. Got it?"

"Yes." Blade nodded with her reply, a few nervous tears escaping from her eyes.

"I'm not kidding!" He yelled in a way that resembled the lecturing of a father. "Hurry up too!"

"Okay… okay."

She pulled the phone away from her ear. Just as she was about to close it and end the call, she heard the yell of his voice over the speaker again. "Aye! Hey? Aye! I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered.

"Hurry up!" He yelled at her again before ending the call.

Hastily she made her way over to the bar in the suite. Next to the liquor cabinet was a cabinet for all of Rufus' guns. She poured herself a shot of whiskey before reaching into the gun cabinet to pull out the Silver Rifle. The gun was beautifully crafted, made fully of silver, and powerful. It had her future initials engraved on the handle. _BS_– Blade Shinra. The rifle had been a gift for her birthday. From her first love, her childhood friend, the man who had always vowed to keep her safe. The gun was symbolic of his promise.

She hurried as quickly as she could to the elevator, tightly clasping her hands around the rifle as she tried to avoid looking at the bloody remains of the guards spewed across the hallway. After pressing the button to bring the elevator down, it did not take more than a few moments for it to arrive, but in Blade's mind it felt like eternities. A nervous wreck, scared for her life and the lives of the ones she loved, she rode the elevator up to the 69th floor. She exited the elevator to see a blood stained path leading up the stairs to the 70th floor. Walking up the stairs and following the path of blood, she clutched the rifle tightly. She arrived at President Shinra's office. Her legs buckled up as she stood there cold, confused, and in shock. Her hand immediately reached up to cover a scream about to leave her lips.

President Shinra was there, lifeless at his desk with a large sword through his back. The handcrafted leather office chair that the President has adored so much was now stained with his own blood. Business papers were thrown across the room as if there was a struggle. As much as she had disliked her future father-in-law, she knew that he hadn't deserved this.

Just as Blade was about to break down into tears again, she felt a hand placed on her shoulder.

Just from that one touch she could feel his presence and she felt safe. She knew it was him. _Everything was going to be okay now_. Closing her eyes, she turned around to embrace him. Breathing in, she could smell the mixture of cigarettes, booze, and cheap cologne permanently tarnished into his Turks uniform. _His aroma _– a scent she has grown to love so deeply. With his Electro-Mag Rod in his right hand, he raised his left arm to embrace Blade and stroke her hair. After kissing the top of her forehead, he placed his gloved fingers under her chin to force her to look up into his eyes. She had always loved his beautiful turquoise eyes, the way he kept his unruly red hair in a ponytail, the scars on his face. She had always loved his indifference for any form of authority. He even blatantly disregarded the uniform policy; his pierced ears, his wrinkled pants, his untucked shirts, his unbuttoned suit jacket… She loved everything about him.

Rufus was everything she had ever wanted. Reno was everything she had ever known. She was **in love** with Rufus, but she had always loved Reno.

* * *

**A/N:** _This is a little preview of what a later chapter will look like. The next chapter will start from the beginning and introduce you a little more to my original character._


	2. Chapter 2

If she could see the sky, she would have assumed it was raining.

It was just one of those nights. The six year old girl sat outside on the street in the slums of Midgar, dreaming about rain. She had heard stories about the fresh air, about a beautiful bright light shining in the sky, about water falling from the clouds. However, she'd never seen the sky because of the huge metal plate hanging hundreds of feet above the slums.

Blade was a scrawny child. She hadn't eaten in three days. This wasn't unusual for her. She'd learned to ignore the growling in her stomach and it reflected in her twig like frame. Her long black hair was dirty and knotted. Her skin was smeared with specks of dirt. She sat next to her mother's shack, beside a pile of junk discarded from the upper plate. The streets of Sector 6 were busier than the other sectors and the streets of the shopping district were the busiest of them all. The shopping district was called Wall Market, and Blade's mother owned a dingy little shack in the red light district of it. It was nearly two in the morning, but people still shuffled back and forth up the street drinking, talking to prostitutes, buying drugs, gambling, and indulging in a variety of other vices.

Needless to say, crime flourished in the slums, especially in Wall Market.

Blade would sit out there every night as her mother worked. Men would come and go from the shack all night. Blade didn't know what was going on inside the shack, but she knew that she had to come outside and tune out the loud sounds whenever a man came to visit her mother because "_Mommy had to work_".

Sometimes after certain visitors left, Blade would enter the shack to see her mother with a small plastic bag filled with pretty little shards that gleamed like crystals. Then her mother would put the little glimmering rocks into a glass pipe and lit it with lighter as she inhaled. Little Blade would always remember thinking that whatever was in the bag must have been magical, because her mother would do anything and everything to have those little crystals - even if it meant that the two of them would starve.

Life wasn't always like this for Blade and her mother.

She couldn't remember how long it had been, but Blade remembered having a father at some point during her childhood. They had a small house in another sector, her mother was happy, and there was food every single day. But everything had changed. She never questioned it. Thing always changed quickly for people here in the slums. But that was years ago.


	3. Chapter 3

Blade woke up hungry… no.

She was starving. Starving to death.

Five days… it had been five days since she had any food in her stomach. Blade begged her mother to buy her something to eat, but her mother refused. Her daughter was clearly lethargic from hunger, but she had priorities. She told Blade that it would only be a few more days until they could afford to eat again. But Blade knew better- the bags of crystals kept coming and her mother never ate or slept when she could inhale the fumes from the pretty crystals.

Desperate, Blade wandered the streets of the market begging for food. She also kept her tired eyes open for something to steal. She wandered through the crowds for twenty minutes. Unable to panhandle more than a few gil and too scared to steal anything, she made her way over to the dumpster right next to a restaurant. Scanning the top of the dumpster for anything that looked fresh, her eyes caught sight of a half-eaten piece of pizza. Because of her height she could barely reach the slice of pizza that rested atop the back of the trash pile within the dumpster. It only had two or three bites taken out of it – she needed that pizza. Getting on her tippy toes, she attempted to stretch her little arms out to grab it, when a loud yell frightened her.

"Hey, kid!"

The owner of the restaurant yelled as he stepped out into the street. He was an overweight man, balding, and his clothes were covered in grease.

"Get away from the dumpster! You're going to scare off customers! Shoo!"

Frightened, Blade jumped up with all her might, giving herself just enough push to reach her prize. Placing the slice of pizza in her mouth, she began to run in the opposite direction down the street to get away from the angry restaurant owner. She didn't make it more than a few strides before slamming hard into someone. Falling to the floor, she tried her hardest not to let the pizza fall from her mouth, but to no avail it landed right there in the dirty streets. Blade scrambled, recovering the slice that now had small clumps of dirt on it. She hurriedly took a bite in fear that someone might try to take it away from her.

"See, this is what I'm talking about. How sad is this?" An unfamiliar male voice spoke right above her. She looked up to see an older blonde man standing around her with a few other men. His obese frame was covered in clothing considered way too flashy for the slums. A cigar hung from his mouth. He took a puff before he remarked to his companions. "This is my empire? This is the legacy I control? Do I look like I want to rule an area with starving children on the streets?"

One of the man's companions looked down towards Blade and spit on the ground. "I mean, Don Corneo, there's a lot more going on in the streets right now. No need to worry about the little slum urchins like this one here. We got bigger problems to worry about. Like those punks over in Sector..."

"Have a heart." Don Corneo interrupted, before holding his hand out to Blade. "How old are you, little girl?"

"I just turned eight."

"Eight? Really? I would have pegged you for five, maybe six. You're very small for your age, you know that?" He asked, patting her on her head. He couldn't help thinking that her stunted growth must be due to the malnutrition. Looking down at the dirty scrap of pizza in her hand, he shook his head in disappointment. "You hungry?"

All Blade could do was nod as her eyes lit up. She wasn't hungry, she was starving.

"How about I take you to a place where you will always food? They take care of a lot of kids. Sound good?" Don Corneo asked, reaching his hand out to grab Blade's hand.

Although she didn't know this man, she knew that she was hungry and he was promising food. She took his hand as he walked her to an orphanage just outside of Wall Market. They stopped at a building that resembled a school. The Children of Hope Orphanage. It may have been a school at one time, when education was still something of importance. You needed to live on the upper plate to gain any formal education now. Groups of older boys leaned against the building smoking cigarettes. Other children were running around playing, laughing, and it's almost as if they were actually at a real school.

They stopped in front of the gates surrounding the building and Don Corneo knelt down so that he was at eye-level with Blade.

"You'll be okay for a little 'while, kid. They got food. They'll take care of ya here."

"Thank you." Blade nodded to the man who may have very well just saved her life.

"My name's Don Cornero. Don't forget it, okay? You come see me in a few years when you age out of this place."


	4. Chapter 4

Blade sat out in the courtyard.

Although the Children of Hope Orphanage may have been crowded and a little overwhelming, she had appreciated the food every day and night. After six months of being at the orphanage, she saw many children come and go. She didn't really try to make any friends; she had always had emotional problems and the other kids stayed away from her. She'd emotionally shut down sometimes for no reason at all.

Instead she spent a lot of time out in the courtyard just sitting, like she had done outside of her mother's shack.

Today was a normal day for Blade. She watched as other kids played. Until one of the older orphans caught her eye. He was only a few years older than her, maybe ten or eleven, but Reno had become an orphan at a very young age. Some of the rumors were that he had been there his entire life. His skin was so pale. He had eyes that resembled gemstones of turquoise and hair so red it almost seemed as if it were in flames. She had noticed him many times over her six month duration here. He was prone to having fits of anger and starting fights, but the other kids didn't stay away from him all the time like they did with her. He was very popular around the orphanage because he was so friendly and most days he was always making people laugh.

But today he wasn't friendly and he wasn't trying to make anybody laugh. There were dirty lines where tears had slid down his cheeks. He stomped into the courtyard with a vengeance, immediately seeking out his target; four of the older orphan boys. He ran up to one of the taller boys, Asher, and immediately pushed him to the ground. Asher was only twelve, but he was tall for his age and very lanky. His hair was dark, with equally dark eyes.

"Where the fuck is it?" Reno screamed at the boy lying on the ground. The other boys in the group grasped onto Reno, pinning him to the ground. "Get off of me! Give it back!"

The boy who had been pushed to the ground laughed as he got up. He dug into his pockets to retrieve a picture of a beautiful woman. He shook the picture in front of Reno's face tauntingly. "You want it back?"

Reno didn't answer. He struggled hard against the hold of the three other boys, but was unable to move.

"Guess not." The older boy shrugged as he tore the picture in half. He proceeded to spit on Reno, while the other boys stood up to kick him. Reno fought hard, but it was a losing battle against three boys bigger than him. Eventually some of the other kids on the playground ran over and stopped the fight. One of them reached his arm out to try to and help Reno from the ground. His name was Jaysen. He was chubby and had dark skin.

"You okay, bro?" Jaysen asked, extending his arm out more to help Reno up.

Reno reacted quickly by punching him. He took off running beyond the fence of the orphanage out into the streets.


	5. Chapter 5

The Train Graveyard in the Sector 7 slums. Broken trains brim this part of the sector for what seems like miles and miles, creating a giant maze of rusted metal.

Watching Reno as he hopped onto a ladder leading to the top of one of the abandoned trains, Blade began to question if maybe she shouldn't have followed him here. She just didn't want him to have to be alone and she was lonely too. She thought _maybe we could be lonely together._ She stood there silently in front of the ladder for many minutes. She had followed him this entire way, silent and unnoticed. She began to hear Reno's whimpered cries from atop the train. She wasn't sure what she should do, so she began to clear her throat a little hoping he would notice her.

That head of bright red hair suddenly poked itself over the side of the train as Reno turned to look down at her. He wiped away the tears from his eyes and a look of shock overcame his face. "Uh, what are you doing here?" He asked in between breaths.

"I don't know…." Blade spoke quietly, looking down in embarrassment. There were several moments of complete silence as she continued to look down at the ground and he continued to look down at her. "Um, are you all right?" She spoke again, eyes still focused on the ground, her question quiet and muffled.

Several more moments of silence passed before Reno moved out of her sight, further up the train. "It's no big deal. Go away."

And she walked back towards the orphanage alone.


	6. Chapter 6

Another week passed at the Children of Hope Orphanage. Blade had wandered out to the playground with some of the other children. She was beginning to socialize without throwing temper tantrums or shutting down emotionally because she was feeling shy. The swings in the playground had been fixed. Many children, including Blade, ran to the swings they had loved and missed. Unfortunately there were only four swings and they were all taken by the time she got there.

_Oh well, I can wait_. Blade loved to swing. It was something about the feeling of being so free.

"Hi! Girl! He-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y!"

A familiar voice yelled out to Blade as she sat on the side of the sandbox waiting for a swing. She looked up to see Reno, waving her over. They hadn't spoken to each other since that awkward encounter at the Train Graveyard a week ago. She walked over to the swing he was sitting on.

"Wanna swing?" Reno asked, standing up from the swing and offering it to her. "Here, I'll push ya."

Blade wanted to thank him, but the words were replaced with a simple smile. She couldn't help smiling in silence as the young boy pushed her back and forth on the swing.

It has been so long since she could remember having a friend.

After awhile, Reno grew tired of pushing her. They circled the courtyard together, their shoulders touching as they paced. Bumping into each other a few times, they both giggled.

"Hey… look. I just wanted to say sorry, ya know? For blowing you off the other day." Reno broke the silence, scratching the back of his head as if he were nervous or embarrassed. "I just didn't know you were there. I don't know. It sorta caught me off guard, ya know?" He looked down to smile at her, before holding out his hand. "Oh, by the way, I'm Reno."

"I'm Blade." She said softly, taking his hand in hers for a gentle handshake. Except she didn't let go – the two children walked hand in hand through the court yard the rest of the afternoon. They shared their stories about why they were at the orphanage. She had learned that Reno never knew his family because he had been dropped off on the doorsteps of the orphanage as a new born baby. The picture that Asher had torn up was a picture of Reno's mother that had been left with him when he was abandoned at the Children of Hope Orphanage. His mother had left him a letter as well, but he hadn't built up enough courage to read it yet.

Reno confided things in her in way he had never done with anyone else before. He wasn't sure why he was doing it either. Maybe it was because she came after him when none of the kids did, even though she was a stranger to him. Not even any of his friends had come after him to check up on him that day. The others were scared of him and scared of his temper. But this strange little girl had followed him at a time when he needed someone the most. And he never forgot that.


	7. Chapter 7

Four years flew by in the blink of an eye.

Reno and Blade both remained at the Children of Hope Orphanage, but it was increasingly more overcrowded. Plenty of children were sleeping on the floors without beds. A lot of the older orphans were being urged out of the doors much younger than before. Blade was only twelve, so she had a few years left. But Reno was now fourteen and one of the oldest orphans still residing under their roof. He would be one of the next put out on the door steps and forced to fend for himself.

But they weren't wasting time worrying about the future because they were too busy living in the present.

Over the last four years Reno and Blade were spending their time creating a friendship like neither of them had ever had before. A friendship neither one of them would ever forget. They were more than best friends – their bond was invaluable and they were completely inseparable. Smiles were constantly shared between them for no particular reason. Mornings they woke early to run outside and play with each other. Late nights were spent telling each other about their dreams and nightmares. Other nights were spent sneaking out of the orphanage to cuddle and hold hands at the park. Some afternoons were spent arguing and ignoring each other. Other lunch hours were spent in the courtyard as Blade giggled at Reno's crude jokes and Reno listened to her chatter about the latest gossip. They did whatever they wanted without being judged, without caring what they looked like to the other kids.


	8. Chapter 8

Today was a typical day for the duo. They sat at the park waiting for some of their friends. These were friends that had aged out of the orphanage and were now out surviving on the streets. Reno was sitting down, leaning against the slide. He wore a pair of dark sun glasses, a ripped t-shit, and faded slacks. He still had a thin frame, but his lanky limbs had grown muscular. His strands were always a disheveled mess of red spikes. There was even facial hair beginning to grow on his face. Blade couldn't help thinking that he was certainly starting to look more like an adult.

Blade was lying with her head in Reno's lap. She wore a yellow tank top, with khaki shorts and brown combat boots. Although she was two years younger than Reno, she had grown just as much as him. She was still much shorter than him, but she no longer had the body of a starving child. She had begun to fill out in a womanly fashion. Her jet black locks were tousled, sweeping across her face and partially shielding her blue eyes.

"Reno, can I ask you something?"

"Sup?" Reno replied as lit up a cigarette he had bummed earlier.

She reached up to his lips to grab the cigarette before he could even take one drag.

"Hey!" Reno scolded, before grabbing his cigarette from her hand. "What're you thinking, girl? Are you going crazy? You can't be smoking. Not uh – nope." They both laughed half-heartedly as he took a deep drag off of the cigarette. "Now, what was this question you had for me?"

"Do you believe that people can really have a happily ever after type of story?"

Blade's question was serious, but Reno burst out into laughter. _How could she still be so innocent and naïve?_ He thought to himself.

"C'mon, sugar." Reno spoke as he looked down and pushed some of the hair from her face. "We're not kids anymore. I don't know if you hit you head or somethin' or if you just didn't get the memo, but we're in the slums. Babe, look around us," He gestured with his hands for her to remark at the piles upon piles of debris that decorated the sector "people like us don't have enough time to worry about happily ever after. We have to worry about survivin'."

Blade's response was a sigh filled with disappointment and sorrow. She didn't even look up at him. It took a few minutes for her to speak again and when she did, her concern was very sincere. "What are we going to do, Reno? I mean, we probably only have a couple months left before we have to leave home."

The question stunned Reno. He had been worried about what he was going to do since yesterday, when he overheard that he would be asked to leave next month. But he had never shared this concern with Blade. _Did she hear about it too? Did she use the word 'we'?_Reno wondered what she had meant by that. He knew that there friendship was special, but –_Don't get your hopes up, man. She is the only friend if your life that you really care for and cares for you back. Don't ruin things._He began talking to himself, trying to convince himself away from other thoughts and emotions that had flooded his mind for the last year.

"Reno? Reno? Hello?" Blade called out to Reno, who was too deep in thought to notice that she was still waiting for an answer.

"Huh?" Reno blurted out as he snapped himself back to reality. He looked down at Blade, still lying her head in his lap. She faked an angry face. "You don't have to worry about that, sugar. You got a few more years left before Children of Hope gives you the boot."

Blade nodded in response. "Yeah, but you don't have much longer."

"Oh, you heard. That has nothing to do with you, babe. You still got a few more years of safety. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Reno lifted his hand to put out the cigarette to save for later.

"You actually think I'm going to want to stick around the orphanage when you have to leave?!" Blade blurted out with real anger.

Jumping up from his lap, she grabbed the cigarette from his hand and quickly took a deep drag. "I'm going with you, Reno."

Reno couldn't hide his smile, so he shook his head and looked away from her as he spoke.

"Oh really now? You're ready to go out there and survive on the streets with me?"

Blade answered with a simple nod.

"You better calm down. You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay at the orphanage where it's safe. It's the smart thing to do, babe. You're not coming with me."

Blade was about to throw a tantrum and argue, but she could see a group of three people approaching the park.


	9. Chapter 9

Reno and Blade watched as the shadows of three figures turned the corner and headed in their direction. It was the group of former orphans they had been waiting for. Their friends; Asher, Jaysen, and Kaya. Reno got up to greet Asher and Jaysen with handshakes, while Blade skipped with joy to hug Kaya.

Asher was sixteen now. He was still very tall, with dark eyes and shaggy black hair. He wore a plain black t-shirt that showed off the new tattoos on his arms and his baggy pants sagged low enough to reveal a gun in his waistband. Jaysen was fifteen. He was a little shorter and bit on the hefty side. He was dark skinned and his green eyes contrasted greatly. He covered his large frame with a white tank top two sizes too big and dark grey jeans. His green bandanna wrapped around his shaved head. Kaya was sixteen. She was very slender and tall, almost standing at the same height as all of the men. Her glossy hair had recently been cut short into a pixie cut. Her eyes were brown. She wore a red skirt, a white bikini top, and golden boots.

Over the last four years at the orphanage, the five of them had grown to become as close as family. Reno and Blade never grew to closer to anyone else at the orphanage than these three. In fact, of the kids that aged out, these were the only people that they still kept in contact with. The five teenagers sat around the park just catching up and making small talk for a while, until Asher pulled a flask out of his pocket. It was a pretty ornamental flask, with pistols engraved into the black leather – not something a street kid would be able to afford. He took a small swig before handing it over to Jaysen.

"It's some good shit man. Some tequila from up there." Asher smirked at Reno, nodding up towards the upper plate. "High grade shit."

"Mhm, mhm, mhm." Jaysen made some very satisfied noises before passing the flask to Reno.

Reno quickly took a sip and then wiped his mouth with his sleeve, trying to cover his satisfaction. "Yea, it's fine."

"Just fine? Please." Kaya remarked sarcastically, grabbing the flask from Reno and taking a huge sip.

Blade was sitting there in Kaya's lap and tried to grab the tequila next.

"Not uh, this is for the adults." Kayla teasingly held her arm out, keeping the flask away from Blade.

Kaya looked over towards Reno, almost as if asking for permission.

"As long as she drinks responsibly." Reno nodded.

Blade looked suspiciously at the pretty little flask. She had never been drunk before. She sniffed it and twitched at the strong, stinging scent of the tequila. Everyone broke out into laughter. She took a sip. And then another. And just one more before Reno angrily snatched the flask from her hand.

"You worry too much, Reno!" Asher yelled out, standing up and pulling Blade from Kaya's lap, twirling her around the park. "We're only young once, right? Gotta let the kid live a little." Asher continued to dance with Blade around the little park. They both giggled as he playfully dipped her.

Reno sat back, slowly becoming more and more jealous as he watched them. He shifted his sunglasses up to rest at the top of his head so he could see the two of them more clearly._Why am I jealous? Why am I so angry that he has his hands all over her? He needs to fucking let go of her right now! What the fuck is wrong with me?_

Jaysen and Kaya could both see that temper burning behind Reno's eyes.

"Man, let's go to the bar." Jaysen remarked, hastily standing up and throwing his arm around Asher. Kaya followed suit by getting up to hold Blade's hand.

Reno followed silently behind them.

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**Author's Note**: _I've condensed and edited the nine chapters that I had originally posted. I felt the chapters were too lengthy and that might be an explanation for my lack of reviews. Anyways, will be re-posting slowly as I finish editing each one. Let me know what you think? Advice? Criticisms? Grammar Spelling Errors? Any and all reviews/feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading!_


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